Friends,
As we begin this First Sunday in Lent, I want to invite you into the wilderness.
Our sermon this week is titled “Into the Wild.” We will walk with Hagar in the desert and with Jesus in the lonely places where hunger and temptation press in close. Lent begins not with applause but with honesty. The wilderness has a way of stripping us down to what is true. If you have ever felt exposed, uncertain, or tested, you already know something about holy ground.
We will lift our voices in “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” There is a line that always catches me: “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.” That is Lent in a single sentence. We wander. We lose our way. And still, grace keeps calling us back. That hymn does not pretend we are strong. It reminds us that we are held.
Later, we will sing “On Eagle’s Wings,” and remember that even in the wild, God does not abandon us. The same God who opened a well for Hagar and sent angels to tend Jesus meets us in our dry places.
If you are thirsty for something real this season, come. If you are tired of pretending you have it all together, come. We gather at 11:00 AM, and there is room for you in this story.
Peace,
Pastor Jon
The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham
St. John's Presbyterian Church
5020 West Bellfort Avenue Houston, TX 77035
(713) 723-6262
P.S. The service will be live-streamed
on our church website
and on our St. John's Facebook page.
St. John's Presbyterian Bulletin
February 22, 2026, First Sunday in Lent
Gathering
Prelude, Alina Klimaszewska, organ
*Call To Worship, The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham
Leader: The Spirit drives us into the wilderness,
People: Into places where illusions fall away.
Leader: Where the sand shifts beneath our certainty,
People: And the sun strips us down to what is true.
Leader: Come, all who thirst for something real,
People: We enter the wild to meet the God who sees us there.
Opening Prayer
*Hymn 475, Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
1 Come, thou Fount of every blessing;
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above;
praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
mount of God’s unchanging love!
2 Here I raise my Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I’m come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.
3 O to grace how great a debtor
daily I’m constrained to be!
Let that grace now, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here’s my heart; O take and seal it;
seal it for thy courts above.
Prayer of Confession, Liturgist Glen Risley
Merciful God, we confess that we run from the wilderness. We fill our lives with noise to avoid the silence where we might hear your voice. We hoard security, afraid to trust your daily provision. We judge the abandoned, forgetting that you see every exile, every wanderer cast out into empty places. Forgive us for choosing comfort over transformation. Lead us into the wild, where you strip away our pretense and show us who we truly are—beloved children, seen and known by you. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. (Silent Confession)
Assurance of Pardon
*Glory Be to the Father, Hymn 581
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
*Passing the Peace
The Word
Prayer for Illumination
First Scripture Reading, Genesis 21:8-21
The child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.
But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.” The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you. As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring.”
So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, “Do not let me look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink. God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow. He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
Anthem
Sermon Scripture, Matthew 4:1-11
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
The Word of the Lord for us today.
Thanks be to God.
Sermon, Into the Wild. The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham
*Hymn 43, On Eagle's Wings, 1, 3 and 4
1 You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord,
who abide in his shadow for life,
say to the Lord, “My refuge,
my rock in whom I trust!”
Refrain:
And he will raise you up on eagles’ wings,
bear you on the breath of dawn,
make you to shine like the sun,
and hold you in the palm of his hand.
3 You need not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day;
though thousands fall about you,
near you it shall not come. (Refrain)
4 For to his angels he’s given a command
to guard you in all of your ways;
upon their hands they will bear you up,
lest you dash your foot against a stone. (Refrain)
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth,
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Prayers of the People and Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Welcome and Announcements
Offering
*Doxology, Hymn 609
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.
Praise God, all creatures high and low.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise God, in Jesus fully known:
Creator, Word, and Spirit one.
Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
*Prayer after the Offering
Sending
*Hymn 67, My Song Forever Shall Record
1 My song forever shall record
the tender mercies of the Lord;
your faithful love will I proclaim,
and every age shall know your name.
2 I sing of mercies that endure,
forever firm, forever sure,
a strong support that never dies,
established changeless in the skies.
3 Almighty God, your lofty throne
has justice for its cornerstone,
and shining bright before your face
are truth and love and boundless grace.
4 With blessing is the nation crowned
whose people know the joyful sound;
they in the light, O Lord, shall live,
the light your face and favor give.
*Benediction
*Postlude
Welcome New Member: David Cardenas. The Session was happy to receive David as a new member at our meeting last night. David has been worshipping with us for months and participating in the Men's Group and Sunday morning Sunday School Class. His background is in the Pentecostal Church. He joins St. John's by Reaffirmation of Faith and will be welcomed this Sunday during worship.
David, a college student at Houston Christian University, has developed a significant understanding of Reformed theology through his studies. Following a path of prayerful discernment, he has felt led by the Holy Spirit to make St. John’s his church home. We welcome David as he joins us on our journey to glorify God by making disciples and meeting human needs.
Lenten Arts Series, The Polish Duo Presents “The Lark Ascending: Earth’s Song of Resilience,” St. John’s Presbyterian Church is honored to host The Polish Duo for a special afternoon of music on Sunday, March 1 at 4:00 PM. Violinist Dominika Dancewicz and pianist Alina Klimaszewska will present “The Lark Ascending: Earth’s Song of Resilience,” a beautiful and moving program featuring music by Josef Suk, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Roger Quilter, and Edvard Grieg. They will be joined by tenor Mark Swindler for this inspiring performance. Join us for an afternoon of artistry, reflection, and music that lifts the spirit.
St. John's Friend's United. Pizza was the lunch for the day as Rose, AARP representative, showed St. John’s Friends United members how to use their iPhone. Comment heard, “I didn’t know it could do all this!” Who knew a phone had a flashlight? Now we know!
Next month, our very own Master Gardener, Mary Gaber, will be presenting “Gardening 101” and giving us a tour of St. Johns gardens on March 12 at 11:00 a.m. Please come out to hear Mary’s informative presentation.
Important Notice: McPhail Hall Temporarily Closed. This past Sunday, we discovered that several ceiling tiles had fallen in McPhail Hall. Unfortunately, additional tiles fell later in the week. While we have cleaned the area and secured the immediate surroundings, our top priority is the safety of our congregation and guests. Therefore, all events scheduled in McPhail Hall are canceled until further notice while we investigate the cause and ensure the space is fully safe for use.
We apologize for the inconvenience and will provide updates as soon as we know more.
New Lenten Book Study on Forgiveness. Jesus commanded us to forgive. Yet many times this process is a difficult one to commence: whether it is forgiveness of another, forgiveness of self, or seeking forgiveness from someone.
We stumble and find ways to circumvent Jesus’ desire for us. Beginning February 22, 2026 at 1:30pm, the Sunday Book Study group will step into our Lenten journey by studying Adam Hamilton’s book entitled: Forgiveness; Finding Peace Through Letting Go. Renowned author and theologian, Hamilton has tackled this topic with grace and compassion offering direct and biblically based wisdom and advice in his book.
Everyone is encouraged and welcome to join this gathering for lively discussion and meaningful connection - all from the comfort of your home via Zoom. Contact Lynne Parsons Austin at lynnep@sbcglobal.net for the link to join. Books are available at Amazon.com, christianbook.com or local bookstores.
Confirmation Class. The Christian Education Committee is offering a Confirmation class for interested teens between the ages of 13 and 18.
The purpose of this class is to equip students for Confirmation and full membership in the church. Instruction will cover topics such as Christian theology, the Bible, and the Presbyterian tradition.
The course consists of approximately twelve two-hour sessions, which will be scheduled based on the availability of both teachers and participants.
The class will be led by Bill Ehrenstrom and Mary Gaber.
Those interested are encouraged to contact Mary Gaber at 713-204-1613 via phone or text for more information.
Men of the Church. The next meeting of the Men of the Church will be March 4 at 6:30 PM in the Session Room. Come for a time of study and service projects that benefit the church.
Happy birthday
Simone Westmoreland (Feb 3)
Grace Sparaco (Feb 4)
Robert Boyd (Feb 6)
Harriet Harper (Feb 8)
Teresa Darr (Feb 11)
Kristi Edmonsond (Feb 13)
Joe Sanford (Feb 14)
Ken Krueger (Feb 15)
Brad Urquhart (Feb 17)
Omar Ayah (Feb 20)
Benjamin Jump (Feb 23)
Asher Caspa (Feb 25)
Alina Klimaszewska (Feb 26)
Shirley Boyd (Feb 27)
Diane Ragan (Feb 28)
Shadai Noon-Adams (Feb 28)
Prayer Concerns
Gerry Jump
We pray for the family of Sue Benn who died recently
Tom Edmondson, health concerns
Holly Darr, health concerns
Karen Alsbrook, health
Kelsey Wiltz, health concerns
Glen Risley, health concerns
Madalyn Rodgers, Kathleen Captain's sister
Joe Sanford, Scott Moore and Alice Rubio
Those looking for a job
St. Johns College Students
Raina Bailey and the families in our PCHAS homes
One Hope Preschool families and staff
Calendar
Sunday, February 22, First Sunday in Lent
9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room
11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook
12:00 pm Faith in Action Committee Meeting, Room 203
1:30 pm Book Study, Zoom
4:30 pm Pack 8 Meeting
Monday, February 23
11:00 am Healing Hearts, Room 202
Tuesday, February 24
5:00 pm Exercise Group, Building 2
Thursday, February 26
5:00 pm Exercise Class in Building 2
Sunday, March 1, 2nd Sunday in Lent
9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room
11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook
1:30 pm Book Study on Zoom
4:00 pm First Lenten Arts Series, Alina and Dominika, Sanctuary
4:30pm Pack 8 Meeting
Coming Events
Sunday, March 8, Noon, CE Committee Meeting in Session Room
Thursday, March 12, Friends United Luncheon
Sat, March 28, Quarterly Bible Study: Salvation
April 5, Easter Sunday
Sun, May 31, CE Brunch: Senior Sunday and Teacher Appreciation
Sat, June 20, Quarterly Bible Study (new format for all ages)
LENT SERMON SERIES
This Lent, we transition from the mountain-top glory of Transfiguration Sunday into the sparse, revealing landscape of the desert. Our new sermon series, "Wilderness Sabbath: Six Weeks of Desert Wisdom," invites us to view the wilderness not merely as a place of hardship or wandering, but as a sacred space for transformation. In the biblical tradition, the desert is where the non-essential is stripped away, allowing us to hear the voice of God with startling clarity. It is here, in the "empty" places, that we often find the deepest nourishment for our souls.
Throughout the season, we will walk alongside those who found God in the wild. From Hagar’s desperate cry in the heat to Elijah’s encounter with a "still small voice," and from the Israelites’ hunger for manna to the valley of dry bones, we will see that God’s provision often appears exactly where we least expect it. Each week, we will pair these Old Testament struggles with New Testament encounters, following Jesus as he moves from the temptations of the wilderness toward the ultimate sacrifice in Jerusalem.
We invite you to treat these forty days as a "Wilderness Sabbath"—a intentional time to slow down, lean into the quiet, and discover the wisdom that only the desert can provide. Whether you are currently in a season of abundance or a valley of dry bones, there is a word of hope waiting for you. Join us as we journey together toward the road to the city, seeking the "living water that never runs dry" and the breath of life that overcomes death.
"Wilderness Sabbath:
Six Weeks of Desert Wisdom"
February 22 – First Sunday in Lent
"Into the Wild"
- OT: Genesis 21:8-21 (Hagar and Ishmael in the desert)
- NT: Matthew 4:1-11 (Jesus driven into wilderness by the Spirit)
March 1 – Second Sunday in Lent
"Bread in Empty Places"
- OT: Exodus 16:1-18 (Manna: daily bread, no hoarding)
- NT: John 3:1-17 (Nicodemus comes by night, born from above)
March 8 – Third Sunday in Lent
"Water from the Rock"
- OT: Exodus 17:1-7 (Striking the rock at Massah and Meribah)
- NT: John 4:5-42 (Living water that never runs dry)
March 15 – Fourth Sunday in Lent
"Fire and Whisper"
- OT: 1 Kings 19:1-18 (Elijah at Horeb: not in earthquake, but in whisper)
- NT: John 9:1-41 (Man born blind receives sight)
March 22 – Fifth Sunday in Lent
"Breath in Dry Bones"
- OT: Ezekiel 37:1-14 (Valley of dry bones)
- NT: John 11:1-45 (Lazarus raised from death)
March 29 – Palm/Passion Sunday
"The Road to the City"
- OT: Isaiah 50:4-9a (The servant's suffering)
- NT: Matthew 21:1-11 (Triumphal entry) and Matthew 26-27 (Passion narrative)
